Volume One, Chapter 10: The Widowed Mother Abandoned by Her Sons in the Year of Famine 10 [Expression]

Putting down the cart, Mo Mo said proudly, "Sister Mo has worked hard all these years; this little bit of stuff is nothing." Then she took out a handful of milk candies and stuffed them into the little girl’s hand. "Nan Nan is here! Aunt Mo has candy for you."

The little girl’s face instantly blossomed into a smile as she sweetly thanked, "Thank you, Aunt Mo!"

"Good girl~"

Seeing that both were carrying bundles on their backs, Mo Mo looked at You Hua with a puzzled expression.

"Ah, don’t even mention it," You Hua sighed. "The county government issued a notice the day before yesterday about an impending drought. That dog Wei Qi ran off last night with all the money from home, leaving just the two of us. So he came back to seek refuge with my father and, at the same time, informed the villagers about the news."

"What? That dog!"

Chen You Hua laughed triumphantly. "He only took the obvious silver coins; the bulk of it, I hid away where he doesn’t know."

"Hahaha, good job, you brat!"

The two shared a smile and chatted a little more before parting ways, promising to meet the next day.

By the time Mo Mo pulled the cart home, dusk was settling in. The two children were peering outside the door, stunned by all the goods. They hurried over to help.

Chen Ling thought to herself how much her mother must have spent out of love for her and felt increasingly moved.

It truly was a beautiful misunderstanding.

Night fell, a crescent moon hung like a hook in the sky, stars twinkling faintly.

At noon the next day, Mo Mo’s courtyard bustled with women coming and going, helping to carry dishes.

By the stove in the kitchen stood several large iron pots, all in use. Wearing a coarse cloth apron, she held a long iron spatula, moving with swift precision.

Her daughter, You Hua, and Cui Hua assisted nearby. It wasn’t long before the meal was ready. She took off her apron and called everyone to eat.

The village square was packed with tables, chairs, and benches. The air buzzed with voices as over a hundred villagers from dozens of households gathered.

On the tables were steaming platters piled high with vibrantly colored dishes, rich in meat fragrance and glistening with oil, making mouths water at the sight.

The children couldn’t help but drool, much to the amusement of the adults.

After Mo Mo finished her words of thanks and raised a toast to the villagers, everyone eagerly began to eat.

“Mother Mo sure is generous—look at these dishes, plenty of meat and vegetables.”

“No kidding! And this wine, tsk! So good, just right!”

“Mm, delicious, delicious.”

“Zhuzi’s wife said we can take home whatever we don’t finish.”

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“I’m going to grab some extra fruit later, hehe, my wife loves it.”

“Hahaha, you rascal.”

Chen Dadan kept his head down, eating and drinking while tears welled in his eyes. (Mo Mei is living so well now; there’s no chance she’ll remarry!)

When everyone had eaten their fill, the village head brought up the county notice again, sparking lively discussion among the villagers.

But since the big river flowed at the foot of the village’s back mountain, they felt the drought was still far away and paid it little mind.

After the meal, once the leftover food, wine, and fruit were divided, people gradually dispersed.

Only a few men stayed behind to help return the tables and chairs to their owners.

At that moment, Mo Mo noticed a table in the corner where the eldest daughter-in-law kept stuffing food into her basket and frequently pinching meat off Da Hua’s plate.

It turned out that the two char siu sons had also come with their families for the meal and left right after eating.

Her temples throbbed with veins bulging. "Damn it!"

She strode over and slapped away that brazen hand with a sharp voice:

"Wang Fang! How could you go back on your word? It’s only been a few days since we split, and you’ve already forgotten what I told you, huh?"

"Ah!"

Wang Fang cried out in pain and, seeing her mother-in-law approaching, grabbed her basket and fled, abandoning Da Hua who she feared would get beaten.

Mo Mo was speechless. She crouched down and carefully examined Da Hua, finding bruises around her hands and waist. Her heart ached terribly.

"Grandma," Da Hua choked up, tears welling in her eyes as she looked at her. "Mom hits and pinches me every day, only lets me eat a little, and even took away the things Grandma gave me. Sob, my little floral scarf."

"Don’t cry, don’t cry. Grandma will get you a new one. From now on, you stay with Grandma, okay? Let’s go get the old one back and throw it away so they can’t have it!"

"Okay!" The little girl nodded obediently.

Mo Mo picked up Da Hua and headed to the end of the village. Looking at the old house, she couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.

Outside, it was still tattered, with only the doorframe and windows repaired.

Before, the original owner had kept things in check, so the two char siu brothers still did some work at home. Now that they were separated, they had completely let themselves go.

Inside, the two brothers sat chatting after eating their fill, while the second daughter-in-law, Wang Wei, fed their daughter on a small stool.

Mo Mo kicked open the door, startling everyone inside.

"Mother! Why are you here?" they stood up to greet her.

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"If I didn’t come, my Da Hua would have been starved or beaten to death by Wang Fang!"

Wang Fang cowered inside the room, trembling. The madwoman was chasing her to beat her!

Chen Zhuang appeared indifferent and sat back down.

Chen Qiang looked helpless, as if his mother was making an unreasonable fuss.

"Mother, Da Hua is just a girl; it’s normal to eat less. She gets a few hits from her mom for misbehaving. Who doesn’t hit their kids?"

"Pah! When you were young, did I ever starve you? Did I ever lay a finger on you? A girl? What, do you think you popped out of a rock crack?"

Chen Qiang sneered lightly.

"Mother, why be angry over such a small thing? But little sister quietly divorced and came back—such a big deal, and you didn’t even discuss it with us."

Mo Mo frowned. "I want to bring my daughter back, and I will. We’ve already split families. What’s it to you?"

"Da Hua is my daughter. How I raise her is my business. Why does Mother have to meddle so much?"

Mo Mo was momentarily speechless and chose not to argue.

"I won’t say more. If you can’t afford to raise a child, then don’t. Da Hua will live with me from now on. I’m just informing you."

Then she shouted:

"Wang Fang, give back the floral scarf I gave Da Hua. I’ll count to three: one! Two!"

Before she finished, Wang Fang opened the door, head down, rushed out, shoved the scarf into Da Hua’s arms, then quickly returned to her room and shut the door, all in one swift motion.

Mo Mo sighed and prepared to leave with Da Hua.

At that moment, Chen Zhuang spoke up:

"Mother, you’ve raised one after another. Today’s feast is better than what even the county magistrate’s family eats. Looks like there’s still plenty of money at home."

His sarcastic tone made Mo Mo frown.

She turned to see Chen Zhuang wearing a half-smile that was more sinister than amused.

Ah, it seemed he truly hated her now.

"I spent my dowry—didn’t spend a cent of yours. What? Have you forgotten why we split? With all the mess you caused, even if I’d given you nothing, no one would blame me for a word!"

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